Forgiveness
by Avari wind seer
Summary: [For Empress Dotdotdot's fanfiction contest] They loved each other. Then he left, and she had to cope with the loss. [Oneshot]


This is for Empress Dotdotdot's fanfiction contest.

Disclaimer: Avari does not own Golden Sun.

* * *

Forgiveness

* * *

Darkness had fallen over the rolling hills around the newly rebuilt town of Vale. Against the velvety-blue sky, one particular hill stood out, separate from the grass-covered bluffs. Its jagged contours held unpleasant memories, memories of a time when one man had sought to gain the power of Alchemy, the power that would have enabled him to rule over all of Weyard.

The townspeople of Vale avoided the bare mound of rubble that had once been the sacred mountain of Mt. Aleph. It was now considered a cursed place. Too many reminders of the times before the coming of the Golden Sun and the destruction of Vale were entombed within.

Buried deep inside, somewhere in the rocky hill, was the elemental chamber of Sol Sanctum. The villagers did not like to think of that place. It had housed the elemental stars before they were stolen and used to ignite the lighthouses of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. The people of Vale had tried to prevent the lighthouses from being lit, but they had failed. They still were unsure, despite the reassurances of Isaac and Garet, that lighting the beacons had saved the world.

But as hard as all of Vale tried to forget, the solitary hill stood against the horizon as an eternal marker of the past.

* * *

Where once was light  
Now darkness falls  
Where once was love,  
Love is no more  
Don't say goodbye  
Don't say I didn't try

* * *

A young woman stood alone, under a tree, on one of the many bluffs that distinguished Vale from other small towns in this part of Angara. She, unlike the natives of Vale, did not even try to ignore the strange hill. It was a part of her past, more closely connected to her that she would admit to anyone.

Because the man that she, Mia of Imil, had loved had climbed Mt. Aleph three years ago, hoping to gain the power of the Golden Sun. He had failed, and had been entombed in a stony grave when the mountain was destroyed. Or so she hoped.

Mia had lived for seventeen years of her life in the small snowy town of Imil in northern Angara. She had been one of two healers there; the other was a Mercury Adept named Alex.

The two became close friends, and eventually fell in love.

Even now, Mia couldn't forget Alex's bravery, his courage, and his keen intelligence, all the traits that she had loved him for.

But he had left her, without even saying goodbye. Left her just for power, for the immortality he hoped to gain by seizing the power of the Golden Sun.

In the end, however, his ambition had been his downfall. He had been defeated, vanquished by the Wise One, protector of Weyard. And Alex had sunk into the ground with Mt. Aleph, never to see the light of day again, or so everyone assumed.

Mia had never spoken of that day to anyone. She couldn't even tell herself what she thought of Alex. She hated him, for betraying her and destroying her life. But she couldn't forget the days when he had been loving and caring, in the time before he changed forever.

Alex, you fool, why did you do this?

A tear streaked down her cheek.

* * *

These tears we cry  
Are falling rain  
For all the lies you told us  
The hurt, the blame  
And we will weep to be so alone  
We are lost  
We can never go home

* * *

She had never returned to Imil. It held too many painful memories of Alex. So she stayed in Vale, with her friends.

Her friends…they had grown up. They were all married now…Felix and Sheba…Ivan and Feizhi…Jenna and Isaac… They all had lifelong partners, while Mia lived alone, not able to forgive Alex, but not able to move on and live her own life.

She was alone. She was used to it now. It was her way of life. It would never change.

* * *

So in the end  
I'll be what I will be  
No loyal friend  
Was ever there for me  
Now we say goodbye  
We say you didn't try

* * *

Mia sat under the tree, watching the stars above the bare hill, and remembering...

"Mia?"

A man appeared next to her in a flash of Psynergy. He stood tall, his long blue hair brushing his shoulders. His pale face was sad, his eyes clouded with sorrow.

"Alex?"

"I'm sorry, Mia."

Her anger blazed up, fiercer than ever before. "It's a little late for that, Alex. You left me, without telling me anything. Then you fought against my friends and tried to get the power to rule the world. Then you went and got yourself _killed_—" She broke off as her tears choked her.

* * *

These tears you cry  
Have come too late  
Take back the lies  
The hurt, the blame  
And you will weep  
When you face the end alone

* * *

He knelt down by her and gently wiped her tears away.

She slapped him.

"Where were you?" she shouted. "All this time, I thought you were _dead_!"

"I'm sorry, Mia," he repeated. "I…I thought you would hate me, so I left. I just came back to tell you how…how I still feel."

"You fool," she whispered. "What did you do all this for, anyway?"

He stepped back, hurt.

"I…I was a fool, Mia. I wanted to get the power of the Golden Sun to rule the world and make everything go my way. I don't deserve to be forgiven. But…I still love you, Mia."

She froze, afraid to even breathe.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye."

He turned to walk away.

Her heart stopped within her. She knew now what she thought of Alex, why she had waited all these years.

"Alex, wait!"

Alex turned back to face her, his face impassive.

She looked into his eyes and saw the Alex she knew and loved.

She stepped forward and then lost control. She flung herself at him, grabbing him in a tight embrace and sobbing into his chest.

Leaning his head on hers, Alex murmured, "Remember this tomorrow, Mia…"

He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood like that for a long time.

* * *

Mia opened her eyes. She was curled up under the tree, on the dew-soaked grass.

She groaned and sat up. Her heavy skirts were damp, and she had a splitting headache.

"Alex?"

She looked around. No one was near.

"Alex?"

The sun was rising above the hills. Birds began to chirp.

A dream. That was all it had been, a dream.

Mia buried her head in her arms and began to cry, the tears leaking out of her deep blue eyes.

Remember this tomorrow…

Mia sat bolt upright, the tears still rolling down her cheeks.

She gazed up at the peak of the empty hill.

"I forgive you, Alex."

* * *

Interpret the ending as you will.

I still can't believe I wrote that in one afternoon.

…Is this a conspiracy to get fanfiction writers to be more open-minded about pairings? Just wondering…

Anyway, if you couldn't tell (I hope you could) this was an Alex/Mia. I normally support Mia/Isaac, I suppose (but my favorite pairing is Felix/Sheba). I don't really like any pairings involving Alex at all. I hate Sheba/Ivan, but I absolutely refuse to write Windshipping (so much for being open-minded)…

Oh, well…

Review!


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